Thank you. Well, good morning and welcome to Trinity Bible Church, those who are visiting. We are continuing our time of public worship now in the Gospel according to Matthew. I'll be reading or centering on chapter 20 verses 1 through 16. Our initial reading this morning will be from chapter 19 and verses 23 all the way to 16 in chapter 20. The reason for that is grammatically the latter portion of 19 is actually attached to the parable we'll be reading in chapter 20. As a first time here or as a visitor or a family or friend of someone who is a part of Trinity, I will read through the entirety of the passage of the reading this morning. After that time, I ask that you take time to pray silently to God as we continue in our time of public worship, that God the Holy Spirit would would illuminate your mind to the truth of the word, that you would be challenged by the Holy Spirit and the word to confront the sin in your life, the idolatry, the areas that you believe hidden by God, that you would give them over to Christ and be shaped more into his image. and that your affections would be turned anew to the one who has redeemed you. And then I'll pray for us corporately and we will enter in the time of the word. So reading now from 19, Matthew 19, 23, all the way to 20, 16. And Jesus said to his disciples, truly I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God. When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, who then can be saved? But Jesus looked at them and said, with man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible. Then Peter said in reply, see, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have? Jesus said to them, truly I say to you in the new world, when the son of man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on 12 thrones judging the 12 tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name's sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last in the last first. For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. After greeting with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And going out about the third hour, he saw others standing idle by the marketplace. And he said to them, you go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right, I will give you. So they went, going out again. About the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same. And about the 11th hour, he went out and found others standing, and he said to them, why do you stand here idle all day? They said to him, because no one has hired us. He said to them, you go into the vineyard too. And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first. And when those hired about the 11th hour came, each of them received a denarius. Now, when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius. And on receiving it, they grumbled at the master of the house, saying, these last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us, who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat. But he replied to one of them, friend, I'm doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity? So the last will be first and the first will be last. This is the word of God. Please take this time to pray. Heavenly Father, as your church, this local assembly gathers here on the Lord's Day, we come to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. First and foremost, to give glory to God for his work in salvation. Through nothing we've done, through nothing we've earned, through no great work, Although we may deceive ourselves at times and tell ourselves how great we are, Lord, in light of the truth of the Bible, of God's word, we know ourselves sinners, rebels, those seeking their own glory, creating gods that serve us, and at all times at war with ourselves and our own selfish desires. And so we come here this day to be reminded anew of the triune God, creator, sustainer, and redeemer of his elect. God, that we might be amazed at his generosity. Lord, strengthen your church as we err, as we fail, as we sin, as we despair through the difficulties of life and the effect of sin on this fallen world, both other people's sins and our own, and the general degradation of a fallen world. Lord, let us cling to the promises of the gospel of Jesus Christ, that rebellious sinners, incapable of making any way towards God, any way to make or have communion with God, be reminded that God himself came down in the second person of the Trinity, in the God-man, Jesus Christ, to reconcile man back to God. Refresh our hearts and our minds with these truths, that our affections would be turned from frivolity into self-serving things. and in our hearts and minds to be focused on the glory of God found in Christ Jesus. We pray this time that your name is glorified, the church is lifted up through your word and spirit, and the unbelievers in our midst are transformed by the renewing work of salvation through the gospel of Jesus Christ. We pray all this in Christ's name. Amen. As we were coming out of 19, there were many straightforward conversations, difficult conversations about marriage, about divorce, about money. about idolatry. And at the end of the interaction about the rich young man or the rich young ruler as he's known historically, you have Jesus lamenting this rich young ruler walking away from this conversation in 19 about how he can attain eternal life. And then Peter commenting and asking this question about what about us? What about the ones who are following you? What do we get? Are we going to receive something? And so, as we looked last week, we see that Jesus tells them, oh, you're gonna receive all these things, but he really ties it up there in verse 29. You will receive a hundredfold and inherit eternal life. The inheritance that those who are in Christ, that they will receive, isn't some reward for their work. It's a reward they could never work for. It's a reward they could never attain on their own. It's freely given. And so the generosity of God is shown in this simple fact. The generosity of God is shown that people receive something that they didn't earn, eternal life. And also, it is held back from them something that they deserve. which is divine judgment. That's the generosity of God, that he will show his favor through Christ to his people, and they will attain eternal life and be saved from divine judgment, earning something that they don't deserve, and someone else paying the cost, Christ our Redeemer, for that which they deserved. the curse and divine judgment. And so as often is the case, Jesus will take something that he teaches directly to his apostles or disciples, at this time called the disciples, will become the apostles, and then uses a parable or a story to tell. Now, earlier in the Gospels, Jesus is informing people he's going to start teaching in parables. or what you would call allegorical stories, stories that had to do with some aspect of life, meaning something that people, it was well known, whether it was agricultural or whatever it might be, or just cultural in general, or religious, pieces of it that everyone go, oh, I know that, I know how that aspect of society works, I'm listening, I understand it. But then there's something in the story that's quite unnatural to where that story should go. And it's that unnatural portion or abnormal portion that Jesus is actually pointing people to look at. And so it's no different here. And the parables were given to hide the truth to some and reveal the truth to others. And even though we've seen, especially about four chapters earlier, even when he'll tell certain parables, his disciples will be like, I don't get it. And then so Jesus will continue by going, this is what it means. But in this one, based on Peter's question and the grammar of the way that it's written with the first will be last and last will be first. And then that's kind of the last thing that it says here in 16 is showing you that this is a unit. So this parable is attached to what we covered last week. It's attached to Jesus' response to Peter going, what do we get? The answer is eternal life. You have followed me. But now we look to this interesting story. And what I'm going to attempt to do today is kind of do it the same way that the Lord is teaching his audience. He wants the audience at the time. And his audience was his apostles. And so the audience, as we read this, is always us, whether it's in personal Bible study, or in a teaching setting, or in a congregational setting on the Lord's Day, where the congregation puts themselves in the eyes of the worker who is first hired. He's telling the disciples in this way, like, you're the workers who were hired the first hour. And so he's going to lay out this scenario that everyone was familiar with. And so it starts with the kingdom of heaven is like, which if you ever wanna, if you're a note taker and you're going through Matthew, we've talked a long time ago, kingdom of heaven is unique to Matthew's gospel. And anytime you see Jesus teaching the kingdom of heaven is like, he's trying to let you know this goal of being a kingdom citizen and this kingdom that is inaugurated or beginning by his incarnation or his coming in the flesh. is progressing in the world and the desire of his people should be a part of that kingdom. And he's constantly showing them that kingdom. And as we, if you're aware, if you have even the next chapter of your Bible open with subheadings, you'll see just how close we're coming to his crucifixion. The kingdom is here, it's at hand, it's progressing. But he tells him, the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. Pretty easy scenario. This is seen as a ruler of vast or owner of vast properties. The vineyards themselves, more than likely grapes, but it could have been any kind of agriculture the way it was written. But what he needs is workers to work these fields. And so how it still works today, if you've ever been a day laborer or you've ever hired day laborers, if there's something needed, there's an excess of work. more people are needed, well, there's generally a place where workers would stay, whether it's in a modern city or it's in ancient Roman times, the center of the marketplace in each town, there'd be men looking for work. And so this ruler has vineyard to be worked. And so after agreeing with the laborers for Daenerys, day he sent them into the vineyard." Now a work day during this time all these all the the disciples at this time who are listening to this story are understanding a day's work was generally viewed from 6 a.m. what we call 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. It would have been a dawn to dusk aspect. And so what they're agreeing for would be like the equivalent of $100 a day, like today. It's hard to get exact, but it's close enough to like if you were going to go do some kind of job, some of you contractors that are here in the church and so you hire laborers and you say this is the work we need whether it's for a day or for a week or whatever it might be they agree to it this is the work you're going to do this was the way it worked now it's the way it worked back then here's what the work is This is what I need in the vineyard. This is what I'll pay you. A general worker could feed a small family during this time off of four denariuses a week. And so that was generally how this went. If a person got work like this four times a week, they would be able to feed and house their family. And so anything above that, which generally a work week was six days in this time, it would have been considered this is a good day's wage during the time. And so he hires them. All the apostles are listening. This is okay. I can't wait to hear the story. This is what the kingdom of God is like. This is what the kingdom of heaven is like. We get it. We get that the kingdom of heaven, the master of house, we understand that's God. And the vineyard workers, the vineyard is the world. We're the workers. Okay, we understand. He goes and then, but then it continues in two, he sent them to his vineyard and in verse three, in going out about the third hour, so this would have been from 6 a.m. when the first workers were started working, this is now 9 a.m. And so he saw there was more work. The third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace and to them he said, now this is important, you go into the vineyard too and whatever is right, I will give you, meaning these workers didn't agree to a wage. They agreed to what they believed the fairness of the vineyard owner would be according to the culture and according what they would get paid for beginning and not working a full workday, although working several hours. So there, a new group goes, the first group is at six, the next group is what would be nine. So they went. Going out again about the sixth hour. So this is about noon, this is barely a workday. the sixth hour, and then the ninth hour, about 3 p.m. So there's waves of workers, 6 a.m., 9 a.m., noon, and then three in the afternoon. And people who are in the audience, in the congregation who are bosses, are like, what? Are you going to pay? And this is where you're starting to pay attention to the story. The ones who began the day at 6 and are going to work to 6 certainly are going to do more work than those who arrive at 3. So for sure, you already know in your mind how the pay structure is going to work. It's all worked out. These get a full pay. These get this much of a wage. These get this much of a wage. It gets to a point of impossibility or something that would not have happened and is outside the norm. And then in six, about the 11th hour, meaning five o'clock at night, he went out, found others standing and he said to them, why do you stand here idle all day? They said to him, because no one has hired us. He said to them, you go into the vineyard too. Now that's the base of the parable, or the story he's telling. There's work that needs to be done in the vineyard. The owner is taking a very strange avenue of hiring people, and that's where everything would have been strange to them. Rather than hiring all the people in the marketplace and sending them all at the same hour, it's the owner who seems rather different. He's gonna get a few and he's gonna send them out at this time. Gonna get some more, send them out this time. And then when you get to the point at noon, that's where everyone had been going, no, it doesn't work that way. Number one, why didn't you just get everyone that was in the marketplace? And so the picture is, all these workers in the marketplace, he picks some and sends them, picks others and send them, pick others, and then goes all the way up to guys standing there from six in the morning to five, what we consider in the marketplace, and then ask them, what are you doing? No one's hired us. You go to the vineyard too. Now this is all allegory at this point to point to something about God's kingdom. It's all to show the workers who will be chosen and who will go into the vineyard and the means of what happens and everything. It's all the work of the owner of the vineyard. The owner of his own good pleasure And his own desire is picking both the time and the amount of work that the individual is going to do in this vineyard. Yes, I'm talking about God. Yes, I'm talking about election. Because that's what this story is about. And so it continues, though. And when evening came, in verse eight, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last up to the first. Meaning the guys who worked an hour are gonna get paid first. Now, I haven't had a physical labor job in a really long time. But when I was young, some of you know, I laid railroad tracks. It's a terrible job. You smell like creosote all the time. It's sweaty. It was in Minnesota, and you had to be out there every day, even when it was like feet of snow and there's nothing to do. They just throw you out there with a broom. Sweep off the switches. This doesn't even make sense. This is a million pound locomotive. Snow is going to stop it. I have to sweep. That's what I'm doing. Freezing. Random fluids coming out of your face that freeze. It's all no good. But I can tell you if working a hard day, which is good for you, a physical job, if I was sweeping the switches for eight hours in five degrees, and then someone came in the last hour, and then was at the end of the day, we got paid the same, that would have been a fight. And I think that's Jesus' point. The natural way that people are hearing this parable, including his closest believers, the way they're reading it and hearing it is with outrage. This is outrageous. Not just the way the people were hired, but now you're gonna pay the guys who hung out all day and worked one hour, they get paid first. Yeah. And when those hired about the 11th hour came, each one of them received a denarius. Now, verse 10, when those who hired first came, they thought they would receive more. And if you're thinking in terms of like just an hourly wage, how much are they hoping for? These guys worked an hour and they got $100 an hour. We're about to get paid. But each one of them also received a denarius. And on receiving it, they grumbled at the master of the house saying, these last worked only one hour and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat. But he replied to one of them, friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. Now, the strength of an allegorical story like this to the audience at the time and for anyone who were to hear it and read it and meditate on it from that time until now is to deal with your own outrage at the idea of being outraged at an allegorical story that is meant to point you to the generosity of God and confront you with your own innate selfishness. Because he's not talking about hiring somebody for a job. He's talking about who's in the kingdom. He's telling the apostles, and he's answering Peter by this parable to let him know with full clarity, what you're outraged about is receiving something for following me. And this is clear, like what comes after this is one of the worst parts, in my opinion, of most of the gospels, is when two of the apostles, mommy comes, and asked if they get to sit next to Jesus later in his kingdom. So this was preeminent in their mind both as a cultural aspect of we're the ones who have followed him from the beginning. We left everything and for three years we've followed him, we believe in him. But there's been all these hints throughout the gospel that we've read. Even the confession of Peter. Jesus tells Peter, that didn't come from you. That wisdom was given to you from God. He's been telling them all along, the reason I chose you was of my own good pleasure, not of any value of any good work you've done. Not because you were better or greater. And he chose a broad spectrum of society and beliefs. He went for the lowly, he went to the rich, he went to the sick, he went to the healthy. And he took them all and said, you're mine. Because I choose to make you mine. And so it immediately cuts the legs off this idea of, but we've been with you from the beginning. We left everything. Don't we get some kind of special reward? You do. Eternal life. And so does everyone else I call to myself. Eternal life. I don't watch Oprah, but it reminds me of everyone gets a car. But even that's not the case. He's ruling out the idea that in any way, in any aspect, that something, this vineyard owner somehow owes these first workers something more. He doesn't owe them something more. He's given them something. Just like he's given these others something. And he's done it because he's desired to. And the problem I fear when we read this particular parable, especially in the reformed segment of Protestant Christianity, we're like, we got this, we get it, we get election, we get that God chose us, we get all these things. I don't have pride about all the service I do for the church, which is way more than that person over there. Have you seen so and so lately where they've been? Not serving where I'm serving, not doing what I'm doing. I wonder where they're gonna be in heaven. If there's levels, I'm probably in the penthouse and maybe you'll find them in the basement. It's still heaven, but it's heaven basement. But the reality is Jesus is calling all attention, not to the work of man, but to the good pleasure of God. And he's doing something, not just in this moment, just not in this story, just not as he's about to have his triumphal entry into Jerusalem, which is not triumphant at all. He goes from being proclaimed as Hosanna, to overturning tables in the temple, to being arrested and having all of these men who are asking them, what will we get? Who gets to be next to you? Who's gonna be the greatest in heaven? And they're all going to flee. And they're all going to lie. And they're gonna be consumed by fear. And then when the Holy Spirit comes, they're gonna be different men. See, the whole idea of this story isn't to simply say in some arbitrary way, people are gonna go to heaven. That's not what it's saying. He's answering Peter's objection. And he's answering him in a way to say, what are you objecting about? You received something you didn't earn and could never earn. Right fellowship with God. An adopted son or daughter. What you actually deserved, which is divine judgment because of your sin nature and your sinful choices, what you rightly deserve is the wrath of God and you're not going to receive the wage you actually worked for. Do you see it? The wages of sin is what? It's death. That's the wage you earn. Man broken, lost, adrift, completely alienated the creature from his creator. The sole purpose of man's creation was intimate fellowship with the one who created him, and to rule over the rest of creation, and to reflect God's glory in his holiness. But that was broken. that fell, that was marred by the curse of sin. Confronting people face-to-face with the reality, if you are a believer in Christ, if you are in the kingdom, it was no work of yours. And now that you're in the kingdom, work as a laborer in the following way. I labor with my both natural and spiritual gifts to the local assembly that I'm a part of because I'm overwhelmed by the generosity of God. Whether you've been a saint for 50 years or five minutes, be overwhelmed with the generosity of a triune holy God who in eternity past loved you before the creation of the world and chose you in him, so that you might bring glory to his name, because you are clothed in the righteousness of the king. And you are now walking or sojourning as a non-citizen in this fallen world, which is supposed to be and is going to be hard because you are still a sinner at war with yourself. But look at this. In your lowest times, in your darkest times, in the hardest times, in pain, in loss from your sin or someone else's, we're supposed to be reminded to cry out to the one who has redeemed us. Our Lord, God, the great vineyard owner. who saw us stranded in the marketplace and said, you go to the vineyard. You go to the vineyard. What have you been doing all day? I don't know. Will you go to the vineyard too? Glory in God, our Redeemer. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity? So the last will be first and the first will be last. There is only Christ. For those who are in Christ, there is only Christ. Be not concerned about what you do and what other people do. Be overwhelmed by the generosity of a God who takes a sinner and redeems them by the blood of his son who did not earn that wrath and rather took it for these who are his. To his glory and to the good of his church that he is refining into a perfect and holy bride, to the glory of God alone. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, as we continue in our time of public worship, we thank you for your word. We thank you for its power. We thank you for the Holy Spirit that illuminates our mind and gives us understanding to your word. God, may all things be broken down in us that need to be. That which is not holy, that which does not worship you, all of the things we put before you. May those high places be destroyed. May those idols be broken into pieces. May we worship you alone. May we be amazed by your generosity. We thank you, Lord, that a holy God looks down on his creation, looks down on broken people, and says, you go. and you and you. May we seek to emulate this generosity in our lives. We pray this in Christ's name. Amen. The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Amen.